The Rumor
by Ally-chan1447
Summary: What happens when you throw Slayers and Fairys in the same adventure? Find out!
1. Chapter 1

It started as a rumor. Whispers among the guild masters, the sudden precautions set by the council, and the feeling of trepidation among the wizards. The wizards of Fairy Tail were no exception either. There had been stories of a monster that, after being sealed for thousands upon thousands of years on the other side of the world, had been released. But no one really paid much attention to it; it was just a rumor after all.

So Natsu didn't think twice when he whipped a job request of the board. It was a small job compared to others he had been on, but then again, it was just going to be him and Lucy on this particular job. He sauntered over to the bar where Lucy was sitting and chatting with Levy and Mira.

"LUUCY!"

The blond looked up and sweat dropped at Natsu's energetic expression. "What is it now?"

"I found a job for us to do!" The rose haired boy said, shoving the flyer into his partners face. "You won't reject this one!"

Lucy rolled her eyes and took the paper, reading it over carefully.

'Restaurants along the east coast have been experiencing several hit and run incidents. Believed to be a group of bandits they are a group of four, two young girls and two men. The ringleader is a young girl, age: around 17, about 5'4" with long red hair, a wizard who uses magic. The second command is a tall man with long blond hair, uses a sword. The other two are lackeys, one girl 5'2" with short black hair, uses magic, and one man blue skin and silver hair about 5"8', uses magic and sword.

'Please bring these villains before the Eastern Restaurants Guild, Reward 80,000J'

Lucy hummed as she pondered the request. It shouldn't be that hard, it didn't seem like people who skipped bills at restaurants were skillful wizards. Otherwise they would have been able to pay the bill.

"I don't know Natsu… This job is on the other side of the continent." She said skeptically.

"Awe, come on Luce!" Natsu whined, "We can even take the train! You turned down the other four jobs I wanted to go on."

Lucy paused and reconsidered, then sighed. "Alright, fine. We'll go." Then she turned around to face Mirajane while Natsu punched the air in victory. "Here Mira, we're going on this one."

The waitress nodded and smiled, "Alright, good luck you two."

"Thanks. I'm gonna go get my stuff I'll meet you at the train station in two hours Natsu."

"Aye!" the teen cheered.

After the two hours passed both Natsu and Lucy boarded a train heading east to the ERG (the Eastern Restaurants Guild), little did they know, they were about to encounter evil at its greatest!

Ok so this is a little Idea I had, I thought what would happen if you threw the slayers group in the same room as the Fairy Tail group. The result, mass chaos and entertainment galore. If there's enough intrest in this I might make a story out of it.


	2. Chapter 2

Lucy stared at her partner as his drool dripped onto the seat he was sprawled across. Even though he was unconscious he still managed to look like he was going to hurl at any moment. It was to be expected though; they had been traveling on a train for nearly 24 hours. When they had met up at the train station yesterday they had boarded a high powered magic fueled bullet train to get them to their destination faster. It was supposed to make it from the west to the east in 23 hours and 45 minutes.

They still had another 15 minutes to go, but the train had started to slow down. The lesser speed was makers by how the scenery was now slightly more distinguishable than colored blobs.

When the duo got on the train, Lucy gave Natsu a pill before the train started to move that knocked him out within seconds. With Natsu out for the count the young girl took advantage of the science and caught up on some sleep she just knew she would miss out on. The sleep didn't last long but she was able to spend the rest of the time working on her novel. Levy would be excited to see the new chapters she had managed to finish.

Sighing, the blond mage leaned back in her seat and stared at the ceiling. Even though she enjoyed writing her novel, something about writing on trains eventually got boring. Her mind wandered as she gazed up blankly. The lack of conversation the last two hours had long since started to become mind numbing. Happy wasn't even there to chat with, just her and the passed out fire mage.

Lucy's eyes drifted back down to the sleeping teen.

_Even with the drool he's kind of cute._

….

_WAIT! What? I did not just think that!_ Lucy thought, a blush staining her cheeks. _This is Natsu we're thinking about. He is SO not cute… well maybe a little bit… No. Not even a little bit! But he looks adorable passed out like that… NO STOP THAT! NATSU is anything BUT adorable! He's destructive and an idiot and… and… just NOT cute._ She thought covering her face with her hands.

_More like handsome._ A little voice said in her head. Lucy's face was cherry red at that thought. _Natsu is not handsome! I must be going insane, I have to be. It's all the silence that's driving me crazy._

"Ugh."

Lucy jumped at the sudden intrusion of sound and whipped her eyes to Natsu with an irrational fear that he had heard her thoughts.

"N-Natsu?" She stuttered unsure if he was awake. He groaned in response.

A small smile crossed her face at his helplessness. "We're almost there. It won't take more than a half hour."

Almost magically the train's intercom buzzed and said in a loud voice that they will be arriving momentarily and asked that all passengers please gather their belongings.

The only response Natsu gave was a soft sigh and Lucy giggled lightly.

"I'll buy you lunch after the mission to make up for the train ride." She said with a grin.

Natsu looked slightly better.

After another few short minutes, the train came to a stop and Lucy dragged Natsu off the train by his scarf.

"Now supposedly they should be waiting for us… do you see four old men anywhere?"

She looked around the train station and saw four figures dressed long in cloaks with only long white beards visible. Lucy hesitantly approached the people still dragging her partner behind her.

"Um, would you be from the Eastern Restaurants Guild?"

One jerked his head up and eyed Lucy with crazy big eyes, "YES!" He replied in an extremely loud voice. "ARE YOU THE PEOPLE FROM FAIRY TAIL?"

Lucy flinched but nodded in affirmative.

"GOOD!" He yelled. "COME WITH US TO THE GUILD!"

And with that, the four instantly whipped around and strutted of the platform. Lucy looked back down at the recovering Natsu, sighed, and followed.

OK, so thanks to a BIG slayers fan and selenas2gz I've decided to continue this story. But to make things easier on my life I'm only going to do short chapters. So I hope you enjoy this little chapter and look forward to the next chapter!

As always, please review! I love reviews!


	3. Chapter 3

Lucy felt chills against her spine as she entered the dark chamber. The four men in cloaks, even the one with the loud voice, had been strangely quiet on the way from the station. They had meandered through the small town as people in their shops watched their procession. It wasn't the first time Lucy had ever felt left out on a terrible secret, but it wasn't a feeling she particularly enjoyed.

Of course Natsu had been completely oblivious to the gossip that filled the town. He was still recovering from the (in his mind) unreasonably long ride in a moving vehicle. The blond, conscious teen was slightly envious of his state of ignorance.

But they had eventually found themselves standing in front of a decrepit old building that was probably older than even the men leading them. It gave of that "come inside, there's a crazed killer waiting to turn you into taxidermy and give you cookies" feel. But they entered and Lucy found herself here, in a dark room, with four strange unfamiliar men, dragging an almost normal Natsu by his scarf.

"SO! YOU'RE THE MAGES FROM FAIRY TAIL?" The loud one said again completely startling Lucy.

"Umm… yes," it came off more as a question.

One of the other hoods muttered something that Lucy couldn't quite catch (She obviously didn't know how to speak evasive mumble).

"Can you handle this job," a different hooded elder asked. His voice came out as a raspy whisper that was almost too quiet to hear.

"I believe we can," Lucy replied.

By then Natsu had recovered and stated his opinion loudly. "Of course we can! We're from Fairy Tail! There's nothing we can't handle," he proclaimed with a grin on his face.

The hoods looked at each other, and then the one in the middle nodded and dropped his hood with the others soon following suit. As Lucy had expected all of them were old. Varying with a different style of beard and mustache combo, the assumed leader had a white curly mustache with an extremely long goatee. He looked hard at the two with squinted beady eyes.

"MAKE NO MISTAKE! THE ONES YOU SHALL PERSUE ARE DEMONS. THEY ARE MONSTERS WHO ATE MOST OF OUR RESTURANTS OUT OF BUSINESS AND WHEN WE PROCLAIMED WE HAD NO MORE FOOD, THEY SKIPPED THE BILL!"

Lucy figured that to these people it must have been the equivalent of someone robbing the fiore bank.

AND TO MAKE MATTERS WORSE, THEY SOMETIMES EVEN STARTED BAR FIGHTS OR EVEN BLEW UP THE RESTURANTS!"

Lucy was beginning to wonder if this was going to be harder than they thought.

THEY WERE A GROUP ABOUT FOUR OR FIVE, THE NUMBER VARRIED IN EACH REPORTED INCEDENT. THEY USED MAGIC TOO, WEIRD AND STRANGE MAGIC!"

Lucy now had the image of four or five huge, burly, angry men destroying these poor restaurants. Because seriously, who else would blow up a building or start a bar fight. Then she remembered that most of her guild did that on a daily bases and began to sweat. Hopefully these so called demons weren't anyone she knew.

PLEASE HELP US CATCH THESE CRIMINALS! THESE BILLS NEED TO BE PAID! WE WILL ALSO PROVIDE AN 'ALL EXPENSES PAID' MEAL WHEN YOU CATCH THEM ALONG WITH THE REWARD!"

Natsu's grin grew even wider at the thought of free food. "You can count on us," he said as he turned and headed for the door.

"Whoa! Not yet Natsu," Lucy said as she grabbed his scarf to prevent him from leaving. "Can you tell us where you think the… 'Demons' might be?" She asked the old men with a smile.

"WELL THEY WERE LAST SPOTTED."

It was then that the door behind the two teens opened with a bang. A young man stood panting in the threshold leaning against the frame for support.

"They… came… again," he said between breaths. "Down by… the… Warf this time! The next town… over." He then promptly passed out.

"IT APPEARS THEY ARE ONE TOWN OVER BY THE SEA! IT TAKES THIRTY MINUTES IF YOU RUN, GO QUICKLY NOW!"

Natsu did not need further encouragement. He grasped Lucy's hand and bolted out the door.

~0~

It did take exactly thirty minutes to get to the newest scene of destruction and chaos. But all that was left of what appeared to have been a very high class sea side restaurant where the charred and blackened stubs of the foundation.

Never had Lucy seen mayhem to this extent. It seemed that everything had suffered damage. Even the people seemed to be going through mental trauma of the incident. One former waiter in the corner was rocking back and forth chanting off different dishes.

"What happened here," Lucy asked to no one in particular. Needless to say she was slightly horrified by the aftermath.

"They came, they ate, they argued, they started a fight, and they left," said a little boy standing next to Lucy.

She looked down at the child, "Do you know where they went?"

The boy looked up at her with sad eyes. Lucy came to the conclusion he must've been related to someone who worked in the restaurant.

He turned and pointed down a road heading south, "They went that way."

"Thanks, kid." Natsu replied as he started down the road.

"… Are you going to catch them?"

"Yeah."

"Good luck," he said. "And be careful of the red-head."

SO, sorry I didn't update in a while. I've been on vacation, both mentally and physically. But what better way to start of the New Year then by posting an update? Well I hoped you enjoyed this chapter. Please Review me and tell me what you think!


	4. Chapter 4

"Don't you think you over did it," the blond swordsman asked.

"Hell no, that bastard had it coming!"

"Yeah, I guess, but you blew up the whole restaurant!"

"Shut up Gourry! We don't have any money; it's thanks to my actions that we didn't have to pay."

"I don't know Lina, I think Gourry is right," the other, and supposedly heartless, swordsman said. "You didn't need to blow up the restaurant. The poor owner was in tears."

"Says you," Lina shouted, "Did you have the money to pay the bill?"

Her question was met with silence.

"That's what I thought. Besides, the world will be better without that perverted nuisance. Right Amelia?"

"Umm…"

"What?"

The smaller girl squeaked and readily agreed. The group had been traveling in this foreign land for about a month. After the incident with Darkstar, Lina had decided that they needed to explore the new world. They traveled across the continent, defeating bandits and the occasional monster along the way. Eventually they found themselves facing the vast ocean at the end of the earth.

After the mutual decision to travel south on the coast, they acquired a ship form a lost pirate who insisted that he wasn't a clown. The four sailed down the coast visiting Isle and Island alike and eating whatever they wanted.

However their adventure was abruptly interrupted by a ginormous hurricane that happened once every 50 years. Had they actually decided to make port at the city they were nearby for a couple of days they would have been more aware. However a certain red headed sorceress hadn't paid enough attention to the innkeeper after he told them about an island filled with gold to realize the danger and had insisted that they find this mystic island.

So as it were, the group found themselves far out to sea by the time the hurricane arrived. With the waves crashing, the wind howling, and thunder brewing, there was not much anyone could do to prevent the ship from being whisked away.

Many hours (probably days) later, the Invers group was washed ashore on an even more foreign land, with nothing but driftwood left from their ship. Lina had cried for the loss of the gold that had been stored on the ship

"That's what I thought," Lina mumbled. After a moment of silence she asked a question that had been on everyone's minds. "So, anyone got any ideas as to where we are?"

"It seems," Zelgadiss replied," That we are on the other side of the world but still in the same latitude."

Lina looked back at him, "What makes you say that?"

"I've been tracking the constellations each night. And the stars are the same."

"So we're on a different continent," Amelia stated, "No wonder things are so different here."

Lina continued walking forward and scratched the back of her head. "I suppose that makes sense."

"Umm… Lina?"

The sorceress sighed and placed a hand on her forehead, as if to mentally prepare herself for the stupidity she was sure she'd have to endure in the next few minutes.

"What Gourry?"

"Do you think it's because were not at home that people don't approach us with job requests anymore?"

A pause settled over the group as Gourry's words sank in. Yes, Lina did suppose that was true. Everyone here dressed differently and there was a great deal of guilds sprinkled about the place.

"I think your right Gourry, surprisingly; it seems that this place relies on guilds to get things done."

"But if that's so," Zelgadiss mused, "then we're not going to get any money unless we join one."

Lina turned to face the group then, a hand cupping her chin as she thought.

"I don't think we need to join a guild." She stated slowly, "I think all we need is some information." A smile a little on the side of evil and plenty dangerous crossed her face. The next people that looked like they belonged in a guild were in for the fight of their lives.


	5. Chapter 5

"Natsu, I'm tired. Can't we stop for the night?"

"Wow, Luce, we've only been walking through these woods for five hours! You shouldn't be tired yet! Are you getting fat?"

Lucy's eye twitched in annoyance. "I'm not getting fat Natsu, I'm just a normal human being who gets tired after being dragged around the damn forest!" 

"You sure?"

"_YES,_ I am sure. In fact **ANYONE** who insists on traveling through these woods at night should be considered insane!"

"But for all we know the bad guys could be just around the corner!"

"Natsu, enough is enough! You know we won't be able to do much if we're tired. And by the rumors going around, these guys are super strong. We _should_ be cautious."

The pink haired teen looked back at his traveling companion. She did look awfully exhausted. Hell, he felt exhausted just looking at her. Her hair was disheveled with the occasional twig or leaf sticking out. Dust and dirt covered her cloths and stuck to her skin. He could also smell the tang of salt clinging to her.

It was at these moments that he knew if they didn't stop soon he would end up having to carry her. Which he was fine with but for some reason she wasn't. She would always squirm and complain and her face would get red. Always saying to 'put her down 'cuz its embarrassing.'

For some reason, he loved it when she was embarrassed. She was so cute when her face was red. With his animal hearing he could hear her heart speed up and on occasions skip a beat. It was amazing how she reacted to him sometimes.

But now was not the time for that. They were on a mission and despite common belief, he did know that fun and games where meant for after missions where over.

"Fine, we can stop for tonight."

With that, Lucy immediately dropped onto the ground and leaned up against the bag she was caring. She stretched her arms above her head and sighed out of pure relief.

"Thank god," Lucy stated, satisfaction filling her every word.

Natsu set his things down across from hers and looked around the given area. He could smell water not too far off and decided that he should go get some.

"Hey Luce, I'm gonna go get some water, 'kay?"

The tired girl just hummed her acknowledgement. He looked down at his companion and couldn't help but smile. She was practically asleep, her form had relaxed and her eyes were closed. No doubt by the time he got back she'd be fast asleep.

So, the image of the sleeping mage on his mind, Natsu headed off to find water.

"Lina! I'm tired! Can we _PLEASE_ stop!" Amelia exclaimed.

Everyone was tired, Gourry was using his sword as a walking stick, Zelgadis had been extremely anti-social and muttered to himself, and the Sailloon princess felt like her legs were going to give out.

"NO! There's bound to be someone in this forest! Whether it be bandits or old hags who eat children! I WILL FIND THEM!"

"But Lina, what do old hags with bandits have to do with guilds?" Gourry asked.

"Information! I already told you, you jellyfish-for-brains!"

"But even if we find them won't they be asleep by now?"

Lina paused and faced her group. She knew they were tired. She was even exhausted, but once the fabulous Lina Inverse set her mind to something she did it. No holds barred.

But she did suppose that they could continue their little trek tomorrow. Hunger was beginning to gnaw on her stomach and her muscles were sore.

The group waited for Lina to respond, hoping to heaven and hell that she would finally say yes to stopping.

"…Fine. We can stop."

Gourry and Amelia dropped instantly emitting sounds of bliss when they could get off their sore feet. It was then that Lina thought she heard the sound of running water.

"Hey guys, I think I hear water nearby."

"We did pass a small river a while ago, it probably runs near hear." Zelgadis stated, already in a better mood.

Lina had a sudden and brilliant idea. She rummaged through her bag until she found just what she was looking for.

Pulling out a towel and some soap she told the group her plans.

"I'm going to go take a bath, wanna come Amelia?"

"Hm? Oh sure, a bath would be lovely." The princess with new found energy retrieved her bath accessories too.

"Alright, while we're gone, you guys set up camp!"

With that the two women walked off into the woods. Zelgadis looked to Gourry and was going to tell him to collect some fire wood. He sweat dropped when he realized the blond was fast asleep. The chimera highly doubted that there would be anything that could wake up the man.

He would have to set up camp by himself.

Somewhere deep within the forest, a purple haired monster chuckled at the fast approaching mayhem.


	6. Chapter 6

When Lina and Amelia finally came upon the river, they were pleased to discover that a small pool branched out surrounded by tall bushes.

"This is perfect!" Lina stated cheerfully. _With the natural setup we won't have to waste time creating a bath._

Amelia shucked one of her shoes and tested the water with her toes. "But it's so cold!"

"I'd expect as much. It's not a spring no worries though, a fireball ought to remedy the problem." The red headed sorceress pushed up her imaginary sleeves and held her hands out. She felt the usual rush of power that came when casting a spell and felt heat forming at her hands.

"_Fireball,"_ a bright orange light filled the area as Lina cast the spell. When the light faded the pool was steaming. "There we go, now it's perfect!"

The petit princess nodded and readily agreed with her companion. Amelia crouched next to her toiletries and was fishing for her scented soap when she discovered that it wasn't among her belongings.

"Hey Lina, I forgot my soap. I'm going to go back and get it. Did you forget anything?"

"Nope," said sorceress responded "I've got everything."

"Okay, I'll be back soon!" And with that the black haired girl ran off.

Lina hummed lightly as she fished out her own soap and towel. It hadn't been more too long since her last bath but Lina always did enjoy an open air bath. After retrieving her bathing beauty products she stood to undress herself.

The girl was in the process of removing her mantle when she heard a rustling coming from just across the river. Her movements stilled as she strained her sharp ears. More rustling occurred. Whatever that was coming was headed straight towards her.

Lina steeled her nerves against the oncoming (and hopefully useful) intruder. Her hopes were rooting for a bandit to pop his homely face between the bushes. That would be the icing on the cake at the moment. A small, very small, and irrational portion of her brain wondered if it was possibly Gourry who was tromping in the forest beyond. A small blush appeared on her face as her brain instantly shut down that train of thought. If it was indeed Gourry in the woods come to peep on her beautiful and young and innocent body she'd tear him a new one.

The movements got louder and closer and Lina felt her muscles tense in anticipation. Then, suddenly, a head did pop out of the bush. It had pink hair.

The dragon spookers first thought was, _Not Gourry._ Then she quickly raised a hand, snapped, and shouted.

"_MEGA BRAND!"_

The area where the head appeared instantly blew up.

~0~

Natsu had just wanted to get some water. He was just following his nose when he saw a bright flash and the scent of fire flooded his senses. His stomach almost instantly growled. The direction was a bit farther north but if it meant the possibility of getting some food it was worth it.

So the dragon slayer changed his course. He knew Lucy wouldn't mind too much, she was practically dead to the world by the time he left. It was about a minute after Natsu changed directions when he noticed a man resting on a tree branch above him.

"Um, excuse me?" Natsu called.

The man looked down at him; Natsu decided he had a creepy smile on his face.

"Yes?"

"Were you the one with the fire?"

"No, that wasn't me."

"Oh."

…

"You have purple hair."

"Yes, I do. You have pink hair."

….

"Are you apart of the group that goes around blowing up restaurants?"

"Not really."

Natsu tilted his head to the side, "what do you mean 'not really'?"

"Just that," the man smiled. "Though one of the people you want is over there."

"And how do you know that?"

The Mazoku's smile grew wider. "That's a secret," he said and then he vanished.

Natsu blinked in surprise, who had the magic to disappear like that? Maybe he was like one of Lucy's key-thingies, like Loke.

Deciding that it was pointless to stand there any longer Natsu continued his trek. His thoughts meandered a bit as he thought of all the things he could do if he was able to disappear like that. All the tricks and cool new fighting moves he would be able to come up with. _I could definitely freak Lucy and Gray out_, he thought with a small smirk.

He soon came upon a tall hedge. The scent in the air was permeated by the perfume of water with lingering wisps of smoke. He poked his head though the bush to see if there was truly a river on the other side.

He saw a red headed girl then a bright flash. The next thing Natsu knew, he was feeling himself being blown up. It was then as his body was propelled into the night sky that he remembered someone told him to be careful of red heads.

So, I'm sorry that this isn't a funny chapter. It doesn't feel very funny to me. But I suppose that's just because it's a plot progressing chapter. Did I scare you peps? I bet you thought I was going to do a strip tease or inappropriate scene didn't you? Too bad :P I don't write that stuff yet. Besides, this story won't have anything too bad in it. So reviews plz! I love them.


	7. Chapter 7

**Okay, first I would like to apologize to all the readers of this story. I kinda went on hiatus during this last month or so, but let me assure you it was for good reason! I needed to focus on my college classes during these past months and concentrate for my finals. But that is all over and done with! I am on summer break and should be able to go back to a semi-consistent update pattern! I want to thank SpartanCommander for being such a dedicated fan and giving me all the wonderful feedback. Well, enough with my prattle. ON WITH THE STORY! (finally…)**

**Oh, I haven't said this before. But I own nothing. I wish I did though….**

There were only three thoughts that went through Natsu's head as he flew over the forest.

The first was along the lines of _Red hair=Danger_. And that this rule applied to all red-heads far and wide. The second was that the stars that night were rather shiny that night, which resulted in his third and final thought: _That explosion was rather large. I hope Lucy's ok…_

And then the pink haired teenager drove head first into the solid earth and promptly blacked out.

Meanwhile, in the other part of the forest, said spirit mage bolted upright when an unknown missile crash landed into the camp sight. Debris filled the air and the blond coughed against the dust. Fearing the worst she fingered her mage keys as she waited for the dust to settle. Hopefully it wasn't some evil force launching an attack.

After a short while the air cleared and she was confronted with the site of a body crumpled against the hard ground. It took only a split second to recognize the mess as the one and only Natsu Dragoneel. A sigh escaped her as her body relaxed it was only Natsu.

I don't know about you, but when I wake up to a sudden event my mind seems to only process one thing at a time. Lucy's mind was in such a state. In fact, it wasn't until a whole twelve seconds passed that she realized that it was not only Natsu, but a Natsu that had been, by the looks of it, been blown up.

Faster than most would have considered possible after just being startled awake, the only conscious teen bolted over to the side of her companion. She did a cursory glance of his body to catch any signs of bleeding or broken or missing body parts. When nothing appeared severely injured, she grasped the boy's shoulder gingerly.

"Natsu," Lucy said while giving him a little shake. There was no response.

"_Natsu,_" she shook a little harder, again nothing.

With a deep breath the girl leaned close to the dead-to-the-world Natsu.

"NATSU," Lucy shouted in his ear.

It was the jumpstart his brain needed. Natsu bolted up and scurried backwards until he collided with a tree trunk and could go no further.

"I SWEAR I wasn't peaking! I was just going to get some water!" Natsu barked out while burying his face protectively into his arms.

This exclamation was met with a very necessary silence. Both of the teens' brains were digesting that last comment.

"What on earth are you talking about?" Lucy asked after the moment had settled. Natsu looked up and glanced around his surroundings.

The pink haired youth turned back to his companion. In all honesty, the next thought that settled into Natsu's mind at the most was only bright enough to power a small toy for about an hour or two. But to him, it felt like it was over 9,000.

"THAT WAS THEM!" He lurched up off the floor and ran back in the direction from whence he came flying.

"Wait! Natsu! What was who?" Lucy called after in an attempt to understand what exactly was going on. But she knew there would be no response. Sighing for the loss of sleep she would now have to endure, the blond girl grabbed her belongings.

She hoped to god things wouldn't get too out of hand.

**I know, it's a short chapter. And I don't know about you, but I don't think that my writing style has come back completely yet. Well, as always tell me what you think. Any comments, concerns, questions, ultimatums, opinions, or thoughts on how the story is going are appreciated.**

**Thank you for reading!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Okay…. It took forever to write this chapter. I believe it was a mixture of 3 parts of not having time to wirte, 2 parts not knowing how to articulate a fight scene with magic, and 1 part laz…. I mean…. Loss of dry air. I don't know about you, but I find it very hard to be creative in humidity. Anyway, I hope this chapter wasn't a complete flop. I really don't know how to write battle/magic fight scenes. So any constructive criticism/comments/reviews would be much appreciated. Thank you to all of you who send me reviews, you are the reason this story is alive (I'd feel too guilty to leave you hanging).**

**Oh, and important note at the bottom. And I OWN NOTHING!**

**Now on with the story!**

Lina placed her hands on her hips after blasting the peeping-tom sky high. "That'll teach you," she shouted at the sky, "No one dares spy on Lina Inverse!"

The bushes rustled behind her as a fretful Amelia followed by a concerned Gourry and an annoyed Zelgadis ran into the clearing.

Amelia was the first to speak, "What was that?"

Lina snorted. "A pervert who thought he could get away with spying on me!"

"Are you sure it was a pervert and not some poor sap trying to get water?" Zelgadis asked.

Lina scratched her cheek at this comment and considered this possibility. She could see the skeptic looks her companions were giving her. _Okay, so that theory might be true… I might have jumped the gun a little too soon. I've been a bit tense lately, not enough bad guys have come across our path lately so I haven't had an outlet for any frustrations._ The red head sneaked a glance at the tall swords man, he had a face that was slightly concerned but mostly held the expression of a person who had been put upon. _That dumb oaf probably is more concerned for the guy I blew away than the idea that I might have been dealing with a pervert._

She was about to refute Zelgadis' idea when the sound of someone rushing through thick vegetation filled the air.

In moments a pink haired teenager who was slightly panting burst through the bushes.

"YOU!" Natsu screamed.

Almost instantly The Slayers fell into fighting stances and waited for the attack.

"You guys are the cereal eat-and-run group!"

Silence was all that met that little outburst. Lina looked at Zelgadis with a raised eyebrow. "Why is it I get the feeling that he just used the term for breakfast," she asked. It wasn't long after that when a blond stellar mage burst into the clearing as well.

"Natsu! Where in god's name are you go-" Lucy cried before she realized that the rambunctious teen had stopped.

"Look Luce! It's the cereal group!" Natsu exclaimed again, brandishing a finger at the team on the opposite bank.

"Serial… And how do you know it's them?" She asked reluctantly.

"A man with purple hair told me."

Lina's eyebrow twitched at that. "Oh god," she muttered under her breath. She could sense Xellos' meddling a mile away.

"Seriously Natsu?"

"Yeah, and I'm super certain now 'cuz she blew me sky high!"

At that point, Natsu ignited his fist and fire licked up his arm. Lina's attention was instantly focused at the potential threat and the foreign use of magic. She had only ever seen monsters use the elements like that. And the supposed human in front of her hadn't even used an incantation.

"Oh, so that's how it's gonna be," Lina felt a smile form on her lips. "Alright then, bring it."

_Lina brought her hands to her front and started her favorite incantation in her head. __Oh, source of all power, light which burns beyond crimson…_

_Tension rose as energy gathered in her palms. Natsu felt a shift in the air. For some reason he couldn't fathom, he could feel energy similar but not quite like fire being summoned. His muscles tensed in his legs and shoulders as he waited for the attack. _

_"Let thy power gather in my hand! FIREBALL!"_

_At almost the exact moment Lina released the spell Natsu launched himself at his opponent. It took only a second for him to recognize that the previous unknown energy had transformed into a flame. The heat from the oncoming fireball was the same as any other fire users magic. Of course Natsu did what he always did when it came to fire._

_He ate it._

_He managed to swallow the whole thing in one bite while he brought his fist back for his own strike. Aiming for his red headed opponents gut, he propelled himself forward with the extra burst of energy the Fireball had given him _

_Lina was flabbergasted. In a matter of seconds, the one named Natsu had easily dealt with one of her higher powered spells and used its energy to help his own attack. And by EATING it no less! Needless to say she was completely caught off guard. She had not expected people to eat magic. Ever. In fact, she was pretty sure that eating magic (especially a fireball) was not very good on one's digestive system. _

Fortunately for Lina though, not everyone was rendered totally useless by the stunning turn of events. Before Natsu's fist could connect with its target, a flash of blond managed to scoop Lina out of the way.

The Dragon Slayer's fist only met air and rock as he plowed through the ground where Lina once stood.

"RUN!" Zelgadis shouted, and the Slayers proceeded to do just that. It was always a good plan to regroup when faced with a deadly/strange enemy and/or people they really didn't want to deal with at the time.

Lucy decided at that point that despite her doubts, it was probably not the best idea to let them get away. Snatching one of her keys, Lucy summoned the spirit that would best find their opponents.

"Open the door to the Golden Bull Palace! Taurus!"

In a poof of smoke, the spirit appeared wielding his double bladed axe.

"MOO~ Lucy! Your breasts are lovely today as well~!"

"Not now Taurus! After them! We'll follow right behind you!"

The celestial spirit Taurus wasted no time in charging after the fleeing opponents.

At that point Natsu picked himself off the ground.

"Hey Lucy have you ever seen magic like that?"

"No I haven't. I think we need to be careful this time Natsu."

The Salamander looked back and smirked at his companion. It was a devious smile that clearly meant he had no intentions of being careful. It was a type of smile that made Lucy's heart beat just a little faster.

"Don't be slow Luce." And with that parting jibe, he darted off into the woods after Taurus.

After a small moment, Lucy sighed and followed after her friends, leaving a wrecked stream behind.

**I have received a message, from who will remain anonymous, that there is a group of people trying to delete/purge FanFiction of a certain rating or has certain content. I would like to personally announce that nothing will ever get me to delete my stories. Not hate mail, not even will get me to do that. I have rated all of my stories based on my own personal value system and disclaimed all characters. My advice to all you who don't like my story…. Wait for it, its genius advice….. DON'T READ IT! Shocker, I know. No one is forcing you to read this story. That is all I have to say on this matter.**


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